


quiet is nice

by ilykmh



Category: Cravity (Band)
Genre: I think this is fluff, M/M, this is my first time writing seongtae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:08:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23558110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilykmh/pseuds/ilykmh
Summary: Ahn Seongmin sees Kim Taeyoung sitting on his usual seat on the bus.
Relationships: Ahn Seongmin/Kim Taeyoung
Comments: 10
Kudos: 121





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> idk if you’ll like it but yes i hope you like it. this will be a two-shot because it was starting to get long. hope you enjoy❤️

The bright, blinding light illuminating from outside disrupted Seongmin’s peaceful slumber. To top it off, the blaring sound of his alarm indicated that it was a quarter before seven o’ clock.

With a yawn, he sat up from his lying position and sat by the edge of his bed, his thoughts barely functioning due to inadequate amounts of sleep. 

Nothing was wrong with him, actually. He was perfectly fine. It wasn’t because of the overwhelming school work nor football practice. It wasn’t about watching dramas either. (If only these were true.) 

Seongmin refused to think about it. He stood up and bee-lined to the bathroom to get himself ready and running for school. 

He was used to not having enough sleep. One thing was that he’d been seeing a particular person in his dreams for days but the problem is, he couldn’t see their face nor hear their voice. Plus, they were facing their back to Seongmin. This soulmate thing never bothered him before, so why would it bother him now? 

Seongmin stayed inside the shower for quite some time and if it wasn’t for Minhee, his roommate, scolding him to move at a quicker pace, then he would’ve missed the bus. 

The boy greeted the driver just like the usual and made his way inside. What he didn’t expect to see though was a boy around his age occupying his daily seat. He let it be with a small frown. _I practically own that seat during the mornings._

With the bus full, the only seat left was beside the unknown person. He took it without a moment to spare. If he didn’t, he’d be on the floor by now. 

The boy was quiet and Seongmin didn’t favor quiet. Everytime he rode the bus, he always had his earphones with him to cover up for the silence that the atmosphere was emitting. It was basically a necessity for him at this point. 

He rummaged through his bag and lowly cursed, his elbow hitting the person beside him when he realized that it wasn’t there. This startled his quiet seatmate. Seongmin immediately apologized for being too inappropriate for his seat neighbor’s liking and shyly smiled. 

The latter returned a small smile and bowed. He didn’t reply but Seongmin didn’t bother. Not long after, the bus was at Seongmin’s stop. He stood up from his seat, stole one last glance of the dark-haired boy and went on his way.

For the whole day, Seongmin couldn’t stop thinking of the mysterious bus boy. He barely listened to his lectures. Well, not that he cared about them to begin with; he had Minhee as his tutor. 

During his football practice, his teammates felt like even though he was in the field, his thoughts were never there to begin with. They’ve been occupied by that quiet boy, again. 

Seongmin hoped to see the latter again tomorrow. 

——————

It was another day but Seongmin’s dreams stayed the same. It was the same faceless figure in his previous dreams. The only thing different is that the person was starting to communicate with him. The problem this time is that he couldn’t hear them. _Damn, who even is this? At least let me hear how they sound._

He glanced at the wall clock. _Crap_. It was almost time for the bus to arrive. Seongmin moved at a pace that even Minhee couldn’t believe.

“What has gotten into you? You’ve been leaving on time for a while now.” Minhee handed him a sandwich pack as he fought to put his shoes on. 

“No time to explain, I’m late. Bye, Mini-hyung! See you later.” Minhee couldn’t even say goodbye back because the moment Seongmin finished his sentence, he was out of the front door already. 

The boy raced to the bus stop just in time. Following his usual morning routine, he greeted the driver with heaving breaths. He speedily walked to his seat, his smile slowly creeping in as he saw the dark-haired boy once again.

Instead of hating the other, within a month of seeing and talking to him everyday, he actually became fond of him. It became his habit to sit beside the latter, he didn’t even care if his seat got stolen anymore. All he wanted was to sit beside him and talk. He never used his earphones anymore too.

He greeted Taeyoung with a tap on the shoulder. It was a few weeks ago that he saw the dark-haired boy’s name tag on his school uniform. Youngtae greeted back with a small smile. Seongmin made himself comfortable on his seat and turned to face Taeyoung. 

“Do you like to play any particular sports?” He started off. It became his everyday work to start off a conversation with the older until he reached their school. 

Though, Youngtae doesn’t respond verbally. Instead, his answers were written in a small notebook. Seongmin assumed that he was just shy. He didn’t mind. He was in good company even if he didn't say anything.

‘ _Unfortunately, no I don’t. But I’m good at drawing..’_ Youngtae wrote. Seongmin grinned as he read the older’s answer. 

“Really? I love to draw too! I’ll show you some of my works next week.” Seongmin happily exclaimed. Taeyoung smiled and gave him two thumbs up. He felt bad for staying quiet, but what could he do? 

The two continued to converse back and forth through mouth and writing. _This is fun._ Taeyoung thought.

When it was time for Seongmin to go down, he gave one last high-five to Youngtae before dashing off to the school gates. What he didn’t know was that Taeyoung called out to him before he walked away.

——————

“Don’t you ever get curious why your bus buddy doesn’t talk to you?” Seongmin and Minhee were eating dinner. It was a Saturday. Seongmin had no idea how they got to this conversation but there was no chance of changing the topic. 

“No? I think he’s just shy. I don’t mind it.” Seongmin stated as he stuffed himself with Carbonara. “Did you make this? This is pretty good.” He praised the older.

“Bold of you to assume I can cook something this good. Woobin-hyung gave it to us. His class had a practical exam with pastas earlier.” Minhee raised his fork appallingly. 

“I need to live with the two of you under one roof. Imagine, one cooks so well and the other knows how to study well.” Seongmin babbled on and on which earned him a light smack from Minhee.

“Shut up, this isn’t about me. We’re talking about you— speaking of which, are those dreams still bothering you?” Seongmin shook his head. 

“No, I’ve been sleeping soundly these past weeks actually but I don’t know why my dreams are always quiet. I just want to hear that person’s voice.” He whined. Minhee sighed. _When will this idiot realize?_

“Tell me, are you dumb or are you dumb?” The older straightforwardly questioned which made Seongmin glare with a pout displayed across his lips. 

“I am neither!” He defended. Minhee flicked his forehead to which he whined even louder. 

“I’m not sure but it’s kinda safe to assume. Did it ever come to your mind that maybe your soulmate is mute? Maybe that’s why you can’t hear their voice? Because they can’t talk?” Minhee asked seriously. Seongmin’s eyes widened in realization. 

“What the fuck, hyung. That’s actually so smart!” Minhee’s right. What if that was the reason why the person in his dreams, no matter how hard they tried to talk, couldn’t be heard and that it always ended with the other signing him something. Honestly, Seongmin thought his soulmate was just trying to play charades with him. 

“Damn, why didn’t I think of that.” With everything coming back to him, he realized that his dream had so many hints but he was too stupid too understand it. _I guess my soulmate and I both have flaws._

“It’s because you’re stupid.” Minhee riposted without missing a beat. 

“Fuck you, Minhee.” 

“Cuss and not use honorifics at me again and I’m gonna slap you.” The older one warned. Seongmin laughed nervously and went to Minhee’s side. 

“I’m sorry, I love you, Minhee-hyung. Please don’t hurt me.” He hugged and snuggled his face into Minhee’s arm. The taller sighed. He couldn’t stay mad at the younger at this rate.

“You’re lucky I love you, too.” He ruffled Seongmin’s soft locks and pushed him away. 

“Thank you. Now, please help me find my soulmate.” Minhee looked at Seongmin as if he had grown two heads. _Is this kid serious?_

“Are you serious right now?”

“Super serious! Can you not see my face?” Seongmin’s eyebrows scrunched together. Minhee wanted to slap him.

“Are you fucking kidding me Ahn Seongmin? That bus boy, he’s your soulmate!” Seongmin’s eyes widened. 

“What?!” How could Minhee come to a conclusion like that? There’s no way it could be Taeyoung.

“You really are stupid, I’m sticking to my word.” The older sighed. “Okay listen up, Seongmin. This is why I came to a conclusion that that bus boy is your soulmate. One, he doesn’t talk. Didn’t you say he replies to you only through writing?” Seongmin nodded, listening intently.

“What if he writes his replies because he can’t speak? Two, your dreams weren’t bothering you anymore. Maybe because you and your soulmate finally have a connection. And three,” Minhee paused, looking at Seongmin as if asking him if he was ready. 

“You’ve never been this happy. These past months, even if you didn’t show it, I knew you were feeling pressured from all these schoolworks you have. You always worried for your results, you barely eat your meals. If it wasn’t for Allen-hyung constantly bringing you food at school, you would’ve been skipping them regularly.” Seongmin let his head hang low. Maybe he was too harsh on himself.

“When you told me about this guy that you met on the bus, it was the first time I saw your eyes shine with joy. Even if you were complaining at first, you were still smiling. That boy helped you a lot. He changed how you were feeling. I can finally see the old and happy Seongmin again. That’s why I think he’s your soulmate.” 

Minhee finished his explanation and Seongmin had to sit down and comprehend everything he said. _Was I really that happy talking about him?_

“But hyung, how sure are we that it really is him?” 

“We’re not. That’s why you need to find out for yourself.” Minhee smiled. If Seongmin was truly eager to know, he should do it himself. 

“Fine. But hyung, can I ask you something?” The older nodded, telling him to continue his question.

“How did you and Jungmo-hyung know you were soulmates?” Seongmin asked, hoping to get any ideas from them. Minhee chuckled.

“It’s pretty stupid. The person in my dream was petting a dog. Jungmo was that person. But it wasn’t a sweet meeting. I was running late for class and the bus totally left my tardy self so I ran as fast as I could to arrive before the bell rings. 

Just before I turned on a corner, there he was crouching and playing with a dog. I wasn’t able to dodge him so I collided with his weak ass and we both fell to the ground. Cliche stuff happened next and here we are now. Although my first words to him were, ‘Eat shit.’” 

Seongmin laughed out loud at the story of his hyungs. Love really does find different ways to bloom.

If they had this conversation earlier, Seongmin wouldn’t believe Minhee. It felt too unreal for him that his soulmate could be that quiet bus boy he had met a month ago. 

He had to know if Taeyoung really was his soulmate. _I’ll do it slowly._

——————

Two days after his talk with Minhee, he decided to ask Taeyoung about it. Not about the soulmate thing, he was saving that for later. He was gonna ask if Taeyoung was really mute. He barely slept the night before, thinking how he should ask the latter. 

The bus arrived and Seongmin inhaled sharply. He was going to ask him and know if it really was Taeyoung. He entered the vehicle with a nervous smile. Walking slowly, he felt as if the path was too long. 

As much as he wanted it to take longer, he arrived at his seat in no time. Taeyoung greeted him with his usual smile and little wave. Seongmin reciprocated the gesture and suddenly felt light. 

He wasn’t that nervous anymore. Seeing the older, his heart beat calmed. He sat himself comfortably and the bus was on its way. Seongmin ran over what he was about to ask one more time in his head. Taeyoung noticed how he was sighing so much that he asked if he was okay.

“I’m okay. Youngtae, can I ask you something?” Seongmin started off. The older nodded and urged him to continue. What Taeyoung recieved as a reply made his eyes widen. 

‘ _Are you mute_?’ Seongmin signed slow but clear, his cheeks turning red. 

Taeyoung was caught off guard with his gestures. He immediately replied with shaky hands. ‘ _Yes! How did you know? And I didn’t know you can do sign language!_ ’ He excitedly replied. Seongmin giggled and bowed. 

‘ _I’m sorry, I don’t know much yet but I am learning it for you._ ’ The younger signed. Taeyoung smiled from ear to ear. Seongmin was so considerate to learn basic sign language for him.

“I started learning it just a few days ago.” This time, Seongmin said it outloud. That was all he learned the past two days. Taeyoung nodded and smiled. 

‘ _I see! I’m so flattered that you’re learning sign language just to talk to me even if we only see each other here everyday._ ’ He wrote on his notebook and made Seongmin read it. The younger blushed, feeling shy.

“You’re really fun to talk to Youngtae! I like talking to you and besides, sign language seems cool to know. By the way, how can you hear me if you’re mute? Sorry to ask.” Seongmin rubbed the back of his nape feeling embarrased. 

‘ _No, no, don’t be sorry! It’s totally okay! Having you trouble yourself just to talk to me everyday even if I don’t reply is already a big thing! Thank you for doing this, Seongmin. I have hearing aids._ ’ Taeyoung moved his hair to show Seongmin. The younger’s mouth turned into an ‘o’. That’s why he couldn’t see it, it was hidden in his hair. 

“No problem, Taeyoung. You’re my friend!” Seongmin laughed. The bus stopped which meant that he had to go down. Taeyoung saw the visible pout on his lips. _He’s cute._

“I’m sorry Youngtae, I have to go! I’ll see you tomorrow again— oh, and here are the artworks I told you about. You can return them to me tomorrow. See ya.” Seongmin handed him a folder full of colorful sketches. Taeyoung smiled and gladly took it. 

‘ _See you!_ ’ Seongmin signed one last time before going down the vehicle and running to school. Taeyoung watched his figure turn smaller and smaller as the bus moved. He smiled to himself. _I finally made a new friend._

Youngtae scanned Seongmin’s wonderful works with a smile accompanying each turn of the page. Seongmin’s works were quite simple but they exhaust deep meanings that only you would understand if you try to look close enough. 

He felt like tearing up. All of Seongmin’s works, they’re so rich with feelings, Seongmin’s feelings. He’d never seen drawings like this in his school, not even his Wonjin-hyung’s works made him feel like this. 

Taeyoung snapped himself back to reality. He had to time to cry about beautiful artworks, he’s late for school. _I’ll think about this later._

——————

“So what I’m getting from this is that you like him?” Taeyoung glared at Wonjin feeling as if he was accused. He just finished explaining to them what he thought about Seongmin’s works. 

‘ _No! What I’m trying to say is that he’s a good artist and a good friend._ ’ The youngest defended.

“And that you like him.” Serim butted in casually. He suddenly felt a sharp pain on his shin when Taeyoung kicked him under the table.

‘ _What?! I’m right! You’re always talking about this Seongmin boy for the past couple of days. Tell me that isn’t having a crush._ ’ Serim aggresively signed, his shin still feeling the pain. 

‘ _Just because I talk about him doesn’t mean I like him! I talk about you everyday but here I am, still hating you_.’ Taeyoung rebutted which made Serim hold a hand on his chest. 

‘ _I just like his presence. He’s the only one who I actually consider my friend from outside the school_.’ Taeyoung crossed his arms feeling wronged.

Wonjin sighed at the two bickering. “Listen, Tae. As much as I hate to agree with Serim-hyung, he’s actually right. You never talked about your other friends like this before, not even Hyeongjun!”

‘ _Hyeongjun-hyung is different though. Seongmin, he’s, he’s, you know what, nevermind I hate you two._ ’ Taeyoung stood from his seat and walked away from the table. 

“You can’t deny it! You like him!” Serim teased. The youngest stopped in his tracks and turned to glare at Serim. He took out his notebook and scribbled something angrily. He threw the notebook at Serim’s face and made his way to his room.

The eldest laughed and read what he wrote. 

‘ _I will burn your body!!’_ Taeyoung wrote it in bold, with a couple of drawings underneath it. It was a person surrounded by flames and exclamation marks. Serim chuckled. _He’s definitely having a crush._

He was about to close it and give it back to the younger when he saw one of their previous conversations. The one earlier from the morning.

“Wonjin, look.” He showed the latter. 

“What? No! I’m not gonna read his conversations!” Wonjin closed the notebook. Serim sighed and opened it again.

“No, but you need to see this. That guy, Seongmin, he knows about Taeyoung being deaf-mute.” Wonjin took the spiral notebook and skimmed through it. Serim was right.

“Am I seeing this correctly? This boy, he’s learning sign language just for Taeyoung?” Wonjin asked Serim as if it still wasn’t obvious. 

“I mean, that’s what’s written there so, I guess so.”

“This can only mean one thing!” Wonjin whisper shouted, afraid to get the youngest’s attention from inside his room.

“Seongmin likes him too?” Serim guessed. Wonjin face palmed.

“It’s more than that! That boy, he’s Youngtae’s soulmate!” He giddily said. Serim’s eyes widened in realization.

“Oh my God!” He looked at Wonjin and jumped on his place with Wonjin doing the same. The two were at it for a while until they felt taps on their shoulders. Serim never thought he could reach that note. 

It was Youngtae, he was curious why his hyungs were being so loud so he came back out to check. He wasn’t really mad at them, he just wanged to avoid their questions. What he didn’t expect was that he was forcefully told to sit himself down and listen to them. _Geez, now what._

“Okay, listen to me and Serim-hyung, Tae. Remember when you told us about your soulmate dream? That the person in your dream was signing too?” Youngtae listened to Wonjin, not understanding where this was going. He nodded to make him continue.

“What if, what if your soulmate isn’t deaf-mute. What if he’s signing because of you. Like, they learned it just for you.” Youngtae’s eyes slowly widened. It finally made sense to them after weeks of trying to decipher his dreams. 

He stood up and hugged the two happily. His eyes showing numerous emotions all at the same time. He was happy, excited, nervous, he was feeling it all. He grabbed his notebook and wrote something. 

‘ _After crossing out every possible person at school, we finally get an answer! I’m so happy! Honestly, thinking back to what we were doing, why didn’t we think of that?! Sometimes, I hate how stupid we are._ ’ Serim and Wonjin laughed at Taeyoung’s statement. 

‘ _Now we just have to find that person!_ ’ He signed, his smile never leaving his face. 

“No need, I think we found him.” Taeyoung’s face was etched with confusion. _Him?_

‘ _It’s a he?_ ’ He asked. Serim simply nodded. 

“Yup and it’s no other than that boy, Ahn Seongmin.”

Taeyoung’s mouth went agape. 

_Oh my God!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> taeyoung asks seongmin to sleepover at his place while minhee was out and about. seongmin agrees and soon enough, his questions were gonna be answered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> help this took me a month probably gahdjdj but hey i finally finished it!! also, thank you @mogus for helping me out with this, i wouldn’t have finished this without your help <3

Ever since that night, Taeyoung couldn’t look at Seongmin the same way again. Everytime he met gazes with the younger, he would immediately look away with a quiet blush. He knew that the chances are small and that their assumptions were wrong, but even so, he really hoped that his soulmate was none other than Seongmin. 

Out of all the people he knew, excluding his closest friends, no one else was brave enough to approach him knowing that they’d be having a hard time communicating with him except Ahn Seongmin. That was why when Seongmin started signing towards him, he felt so overwhelmed. 

Taeyoung appreciated the thought of the younger being his other half. Even though they’ve only known each other for a few months and the fact that they only talk on the bus every morning, he grew to like him. 

He knew this liking would soon bloom into something more so he really wanted to know if Seongmin was his soulmate. Afterall, he didn’t want to catch feelings for someone he knew would never return the gift. _I need to think of a way to know and I seriously need to do this fast._

Winter break was around the corner which meant there’d be no classes and no classes meant there’d be no reason to ride the bus and no reason to ride the bus meant there’d be no reason to meet with Seongmin. 

He didn’t want to spend his whole break without talking to the boy. Yes, he just met him a couple of months ago. Yes, he lived for 17 years without knowing Seongmin. But that doesn’t stop him. When Youngtae wants something, he’ll do his best to get it. And right now he wanted to get Seongmin’s number. 

He was so deep in thought that he didn’t notice Seongmin sitting beside him already. He was so focused on coming up with a plan to ask for the younger’s phone number that he blocked all sorts of distraction. He even decided to mute the volume of his hearing aids. His eyes were practically glued to his notebook. Only when Seongmin finally decided to hold his wrist that he knew about the younger’s presence. Taeyoung hastily closed his notebook, his ears turning red. 

‘ _Oh my God, you startled me._ ’ He signed. Seongmin laughed and apologized. Taeyoung quietly returned the volume of his aids. _He laughed and I didn’t hear it. Damn._

‘ _Sorry! you were just so focused on your notebook._ ’ Seongmin smiled. He was getting better and better with his signs lately. Taeyoung thought he was a genius for learning basic sign language at such a short period of time. 

‘ _You can talk to me out loud. I want to hear your voice._ ’ Taeyoung’s sentence made Seongmin red. When Youngtae saw, he realized what he just said. He covered his face as well. He was so embarrassed of himself. _Why am I like this?!_

“If that’s what you want, then sure I’ll speak up!” Seongmin grabbed Taeyoung’s hands from his face and took them in his. The gesture made Taeyoung’s heart beat uncontrollably. Seongmin was too dangerous to be his soulmate. He’d die if this goes on. But at the same time, he would love for it to happen.

‘ _So, what are your plans for winter break?_ ’ Taeyoung started. Seongmin laid back on his seat and thought hard about it. Taeyoung couldn’t help but stare at the younger’s features. As if everytime he saw the latter’s face, life would be well again. 

“Nothing much really, I can’t go home to my parents for now and Minhee-hyung’s gonna ditch me to have his date with Jungmo in his hometown.” Seongmin pouted at the thought of being alone. He never liked to be alone. Being alone made him feel vulnerable, that’s why when Taeyoung became his bus buddy, he never felt so happy. Even if he kept whining about him taking his seat to Minhee for a whole dinner time, Seongmin was really thankful for Youngtae. 

‘ _Man, that sounds awful. Sorry to hear that._ ’ Taeyoung comforted Seongmin who was being sulky at the thought. He had to admit, Seongmin looked extra adorable today with his fluffy scarf almost covering half of his face. 

“How about you? Are you going somewhere?” Seongmin asked. Taeyoung denied the statement rather quickly which amused the younger. 

“Oh, is that so?” Seongmin nodded. Taeyoung noticed how they were nearing the younger’s school already. He had to ask him now. _Fuck plans. Just wing life._ He poked Seongmin’s cheeks to get his attention. The younger jolted lightly at the action and made himself turn ruddy.

‘ _Hey, can I ask something from you?_ ’ Taeyoung signed nimbly. Seongmin now had his full attention of Taeyoung. The taller felt like he was gonna combust then and there because of Seongmin’s curious gaze.

 _‘I was wondering. . . can I. . . exchange numbers. . . with you?_ ’ Taeyoung felt a heavy thing lift up from his chest. _Youngtae you are pathetic._

Seongmin smiled widely. He never thought this day would come but it did! And it was Youngtae doing it. Honestly, he never expected the latter to do it. Taeyoung was such a shy person. 

“You’re asking me?” Seongmin pointed to himself as if not believing, his smile evidently unyielding. Taeyoung nodded his head shyly. He offered Seongmin to write down in his notebook. Youngtae was then too late to realize that he wrote a whole plan about how he would try to ask Seongmin for his number and the fact that Seongmin was reading it right now? He wanted to hide himself.

“Ey~ what’s this Taeyoungie? Look at you being so cute.” Seongmin teased the older who was now hiding himself on the shorter’s shoulder. He lightly hit Seongmin’s chest to which the latter laughed even more. 

“I’m gonna give you my number don’t be shy anymore.” Seongmin ruffled Taeyoung’s dark, fluffy locks with adoration. The quiet boy leaned into the touch and Seongmin was sure he felt his heart beat at an inhumane pace. He’s liking Taeyoung more than he could already imagine. 

Taeyoung finally peeled himself off of Seongmin after realizing he’d been staying in that position for a couple of minutes now. Seongmin smiled at him and gave him back the notebook. Only when the bus driver called for Seongmin’s name that the two realized it was time for the younger to go. Seongmin pouted and looked at Taeyoung. He felt like melting at the sight. Seongmin was so adorable it hurt. _I feel like I’m gonna stop breathing if he keeps doing these kinds of stuff to me._

“Aw, I have to go now. You text me okay? I wrote my number down for you. Bye bye little rose!” Seongmin patted Taeyoung’s head one last time before leaving the vehicle. Taeyoung sat there frozen. Seongmin just called him by a nickname. He felt his lips curl into a smile. He silently hugged his notebook as the bus started moving. _I think my life is complete._

He opened the notebook and stared at what Seongmin wrote. Not only did he jot down his number, he even left little doodles on the page. Taeyoung could see a bunny, some hearts and a few couples of the younger’s name but what caught his eye was the little rose beside the bunny drawing. An arrow was pointing at it and it was accompanied by Seongmin’s cute handwriting that said, ‘ _this is kim taeyoung and ahn seongmin_ ’. 

Taeyoung clutched his heart. He wouldn’t be even exaggerating when he was to say he’d be dead because of Seongmin’s cuteness. The kid was just too much for his poor, whipped heart. _I am seriously going to combust._

——————

“Wait, so you mean to say everything you just told us happened within a span of one hour?” Serim asked. Youngtae nodded excitedly. His smile from the morning never faltered. He looked so stupidly in love, Wonjin thought.

“Bite back that smile of yours, your cheeks are going to rip apart.” Wonjin teased Taeyoung who was continuing to hug his notebook. The kid huffed and stuck his tongue out at his hyungs. 

‘ _I really want him to be my soulmate_.’ Taeyoung signed with a hopeful gaze. Serim and Wonjin looked at the younger with happiness. They’ve never seen him this happy before and to top it off, he was madly in love. 

“I’m sure he is. And I’m also sure that he probably knows it too. He’s just cautious for now.” Serim turned the TV off noticing Wonjin completely ditched the movie to cuddle with Taeyoung. Wonjin agreed with him and made Youngtae sit up. 

“You know what you should be doing right now?” Wonjin asked. Taeyoung looked at him curiously. No, he didn’t know anything except for the fact that he‘d been thinking about Seongmin for the whole day. 

“You should be texting Seongmin right now.” At the mention of Seongmin and the word text in one sentence, Taeyoung immediately sat up, hitting Wonjin’s chin in the process. He bowed numerously as an apology and excused himself from the two. 

Serim watched the younger’s figure disappear into his room. He chuckled at the thought of Taeyoung finally being in love. On his side, Wonjin was groaning in pain after the kid managed to headbutt his chin. _As long as he’s happy, I guess I can be in pain_. 

Inside Taeyoung’s room, he was burying his face in his pillow. He can’t do this. He was so shy to actually message Seongmin. Heck, he was shy to message anyone in general. _But this is Seongmin, you stupid. He might be your soulmate so stop being a wuss._

He sucked in a breath and grabbed his phone. He carefully typed in the younger’s number on the recipients and thought of what message he should be sending. _Maybe I should just say hi._

It seemed like his thoughts and body weren’t in harmony because his hands started typing something else. 

At that same time, Seongmin was lying on his bed. His hand never leaving his cellphone alone. Not to be himself, but he’d been waiting for Taeyoung’s message ever since that morning. Minhee had to scold him for using his cell on the table in order for him to let go of it and eat.

Seongmin jumped when he felt his phone vibrate. Holding it up too fast to his eye level, he accidentally dropped the phone on his face. The poor boy whined as he rubbed his nose. _Gosh why are you so excited Seongmin._

He opened to see a notification from his sns. An unknown number messaged him. He smiled. _This must be Youngtae!_

He opened the message which he thought only read ‘ _hello! guess who~_ ’ but after seeing the full message his complexion harboured a clearly amused face with rubiscund cheeks. 

From: +xxxxxxxxxxx

_hello! guess who~_

_seongmin-ah it’s taeyoung! sorry if i texted you so late. i hope you didn’t wait long hahaha anyways since this is texting please expect a noisy kim taeyoung >~< ah! also, since you don’t have plans for winter break, do you perhaps want to sleep over here at my place? don’t worry tho! we have two reliable hyungs who will make food for us haha. it’s a weird offer but i don’t want you to be alone during this cold and sad time ಥ_ಥ trust me, it’s the worst! aaaaa i hope you see this sorry for babbling so much ;(_

Seongmin did his best to keep in his screams. How could someone be this adorable even through text? It didn’t make sense at all. 

“Oh God, he even uses kaomojis. I want to marry him.” He suddenly blurted out. Upon realizing what he had said, Seongmin covered his face with his hands and proceeded to roll around his bed. _Seongmin shut the hell up, what are you even saying?_

He tried to compose himself before typing in a reply. 

To: Jjangmiyoung 

_youngtae hello!! omg that’s so thoughtful of you thank you so much :( i would love to take on that offer but are you sure it’s okay? i really don’t want to be a bother for you guys, i can handle myself alone too!_

Seongmin replied. Although not expressing it through text, he really wanted to stay with Taeyoung. Seongmin hated being alone and especially when he had to prepare his own meals. Not that he was lazy, he just wanted someone else to do it. 

His phone dinged. 

From: Jjangmiyoung

_of course it’s okay you crazy! anything for you >< _

Seongmin screeched. 

Minhee heard the sound and immediately ran to his room. 

“What’s going on, are you okay?” He asked. Seongmin just looked at him sporting the most lovestruck smile Minhee had seen. 

“I’m gonna stay at Youngtae’s for the next couple of days!” Seongmin giddily announced and proceeded to jump off his bed and into Minhee’s arms. 

Minhee stumbled back a bit and the two fell on the ground. Groans from both males echoed throughout the room. Minhee sighed.

“Please remind me not to get involved when you cry about your crushes.” He pushed Seongmin off of him and started making his way out the front door. Minhee was happy for him, he really was. He just doesn’t want to be at the receiving end of Seongmin’s mini breakdowns. Just before he was out completely, the younger called.

“You’re wrong for that hyung. He is my only crush.”

——————

Seongmin inhaled deeply. He was in front of Taeyoung’s given address and he’d been standing by their front door for a few minutes now. It was a quarter past seven. The reason why he was so late was because Jungmo had to stop by somewhere ‘rather quickly’ which obviously turned into a long waiting game for him and Minhee inside the car. _God, please just knock already Seongmin._

With one last brave sigh, Seongmin knocked. Not even a few moments later, He heard hurried footsteps rush to the door, three people to be exact. The one to open the door was none other than Youngtae who had Serim and Wonjin peeking at his back. 

Seongmin smiled awkwardly and waved hello. Taeyoung’s smile widened and he ushered Seongmin to come in, taking his bag in the process. Seongmin whined, saying how it was unnecessary for Taeyoung to do so since it was only a small duffle bag but the older was persistent and ran off with Seongmin’s bag to his room. 

Seongmin stood in the middle of the living room, perplexed. He heard who he assumed was Serim, called his name and told him to sit on the couch.

“So you’re the Ahn Seongmin?” Serim was intimidating. Seongmin asked help from the other person in the room who seemingly felt more nicer than the one who was speaking to him right now. Wonjin got his signal and slapped Serim’s back. The older groaned.

“Go easy on the kid.” To Seongmin, “Hey, Seongmin, right? Taeyoung talks about you to us a lot.” Wonjin held out his hand and the younger gladly shook it. A tinge of pink painting his milky skin. Serim smiled at the sight. Taeyoung suddenly came back to the room with cookies in hand. Everyone was surprised. Since when did he go to the kitchen? He offered the whole plate to Seongmin who shyly took it. Taeyoung squeezed himself in beside Seongmin which made him giggle silently.

Taeyoung’s heart beat pacened. _What an adorable sound._

Throughout the remainder of the night, the four of them talked and of course, signed. Serim and Wonjin told embarrassing stories of Taeyoung to Seongmin which had Taeyoung covering the younger’s ears for the most part. Everytime he did, Seongmin immediately pouted at him which always worked. It was a sickeningly repetitive process that at some point, Serim had to point it out which produced two embarrassed individuals.

It was nearing ten o’ clock when they decided to call it a night. Seongmin bid goodbye to the two older residents as he gets pulled away by Taeyoung to his room. 

“Taeyoung, I can sleep outside on the couch, it’s okay.” He said. Of course it would be okay for him. He knew the moment he entered the room that he’d be laying on the same bed as Youngtae seeing how there was no other cushions in sight and that wouldn’t be good for his sanity. 

‘ _What? No way! You can sleep here with me. It’s warmer and of course, comfier_.’ Taeyoung bribed. Oh how Seongmin wanted to agree so bad. But no, as Minhee had said, “push and pull, Seongmin, push and all.”

_I’ll pull your hair when we see each other again Minhee-hyung just you wait._

Seongmin shook his head and tried backing away to the door but he stopped in his tracks when he saw Taeyoung’s sulky face. _Noooo, don’t do this to me._

“Oh my gosh, please don’t do that face or I’ll cry.” Seongmin said out loud which just gave Youngtae more ideas. 

He went closer to Seongmin and clasped their hands together, his face dangerously close to the latter. Taeyoung gave him an annoyingly adorable puppy eyes which made Seongmin give in in an instant. 

Taeyoung jumped in joy and ran to his bed. He patted the space beside him like a kid. Deep in his thoughts, he was embarrassed for himself. _Can you be any more obvious than this._

Seongmin rolled his eyes with a smile as he turned the lights off and walked towards the bed as well. He made himself comfortable beside the older. Taeyoung’s ceiling was decorated with small glow in the dark stars. Seongmin noticed it and pointed at it while smiling at Taeyoung. 

“Did you put those up there?” He asked with a smile. Taeyoung nodded, his face hidden behind the comforter. 

“They’re so pretty.” _But not as pretty as you._

Seongmin blushed at his own thoughts. He tried to think of something else. Suddenly, he remembered the artworks he showed Youngtae and thought it would be a good topic. 

“You know, I never really thought I’d like art out of all things. When I was a kid, I thought it was such a hassle wasting your time on just drawing but as I grew older, I realized the importance of art. Without art, life would be pretty boring, you know?” Seongmin babbled on and on. Taeyoung was listening to him quietly, his hands tracing little spirals on Seongmin’s arm to assure the younger he was listening. 

Seongmin was drawn to the touch. He glanced at Taeyoung only to see the other already staring at him with a small smile.

“Oh, I’m sorry! Was I talking too much?” Seongmin apologized with a pout although he knew Youngtae barely saw it because it was quite dark. Only the small, sticky, glowing objects provided light. 

Youngtae traced a small ‘No’ on Seongmin’s arms to assure him. The younger giggled.

“Oh well, we should sleep now. Goodnight, Youngie.” Seongmin ruffled Taeyoung’s hair and smiled. He turned to face the opposite side of where Taeyoung was facing. 

Little did he know, Taeyoung was smiling so wide at the small nickname. _I really hope you’re the one._

—————

Seongmin woke up with no one beside him. _Where’s Taeyoung?_

He sat up, stretched, and made his way to the bathroom to freshen up. Seongmin splashed his face with water, rubbing more than necessary. He remembered ruffling Taeyoung’s hair last night and felt shy. _Why did I do that?!_

Seongmin went out of the room to look for Taeyoung. He thought of checking the kitchen out since the strong smell of coffee brewing was dancing across the air. 

Just when he was almost at the partition, he noticed how the room was awfully quiet so he decided to quietly peek. He saw the three talking— or should he say, signing about something. Seongmin tried his best to understand their conversation but it was hard to see what Serim and Wonjin were signing about. He only saw Taeyoung. The kid was about to enter and he saw the aforementioned boy sign, ‘ _He’s so cute when he’s asleep, I can just stare at his beautiful face all day.’_

Seongmin never felt his heart beat so much like this before. He tiptoed to the living room couch and sat there, trying to compose himself. _Oh my God, he thinks I’m cute!_

He breathed in and out but everytime the scene replayed in his mind, Seongmin started to turn bashful again. After deliberately trying his best, he managed to finally calm down. Seongmin tried walking in the kitchen again.

He let out a cough which startled the three. 

“Good morning.” Seongmin smiled. Taeyoung was the first to greet him back a good morning. He ushered Seongmin to come to the table and sit down with them. On the table top, a large bowl of fried rice and a whole plate of Spam was displayed adorablely. Seongmin figured Taeyoung was the one who setted the table. 

The four ate in silence, casually smiling at each other in awkwardness everytime someone locked eyes with Seongmin. At some point, Serim decided to pull a small experiment. 

“So, Seongmin. . . What do you think of soulmates?” Seongmin choked on his meal at the sudden question. Taeyoung glared at Serim as he offered his glass of water to Seongmin and patted his back lightly. The younger gratefully took the glass and downed the drink in a few gulps. He assured Taeyoung he was okay with a convincing tap.

“Oh dear, sorry about that.” Serim chuckled but hissed the moment Wonjin stepped on his foot. The red hair stood up, his meal finished. 

“Don’t mind him, kid. Here, let me pull him out of here so you guys can eat peacefully without this hyung bothering you.” Wonjin pulled Serim who was protesting by his collar and outside the place. 

The two sat there in awkward silence once again. Seongmin thought about Serim’s words deeply. Taeyoung noticed how the younger was spacing out and decided to shook him in the slightest bit. 

“Taeyoung, what if we’re soulmates?” Seongmin asked out of nowhere. Taeyoung’s eyes widened, completely not expecting for Seongmin to ask that. Seongmin panicked when Taeyoung didn’t respond.

“Wait, you know what, please forget I asked that.” Seongmin stiltedly chuckled and stood up abruptly. He was about to leave when Youngtae grabbed his hand. 

‘ _I don’t mind at all, I really like the thought of you being my soulmate._ ’ Youngtae smiled at Seongmin. The younger covered his mouth out of bashfulness due to Taeyoung’s remark. 

‘ _You’re crazy._ ’ Seongmin signed jokingly. Taeyoung smiled and rolled his eyes. He stood up as well and started cleaning up the table. His way of cleaning up was putting all the dirty dishes on the sink and leave them for Serim to wash. 

‘ _Wanna play video games?_ ’ He offered. Seongmin hesitated for a while knowing he sucked so bad at those kinds of stuff but then again its Taeyoung, who would say no to Taeyoung? 

The shorter nodded and was immediately dragged to the living room. He sat on the couch as Taeyoung prepared the game console. 

‘ _What do you wanna play?_ ’ 

‘ _Anything’s okay, I guess._ ’ Seongmin knew nothing at all. He was only doing this since Taeyoung wanted him to. He watched the screen as it loaded. 

_Call of Duty? Huh, what’s that?_

Seongmin got startled when Taeyoung jumped on the spot beside him, two controllers in hand and one of them was given to him. Seongmin held it with no sort of knowledge regarding the game. 

He watched as Taeyoung started it while he sat there pressing random buttons that made his character jump, duck, run; Seongmin was hopeless. He slumped back in his seat with a pout. Taeyoung noticed and eventually paused the game.

 _'Do you want me to teach you?'_ Taeyoung offered with a smile. Seongmin nodded his head, the pout on his lips still present. Taeyoung thought he was pretty adorable. 

He motioned for Seongmin to move closer to him so he could teach him and since Taeyoung couldn't verbalize the instructions, he wrapped his arms around Seongmin so he could guide both of the younger's hands in using the controls. He didn't really think much about it but it was the opposite for Seongmin.

The kid was beyond flustered and could barely focus on the screen. His attention was getting entertained by the hands on top of his. _Dear God, I am not your strongest child._

After a few minutes, Seongmin finally gave up even though the latter already did his best to show him and told Taeyoung to go solo while he'd just watch. Taeyoung made a face at him but agreed anyway. 

He started up a new game. Seongmin sat beside him quietly and watched the gameplay. Taeyoung was pretty good. Seongmin figured he'd been playing this a lot of times already. 

Seongmin couldn't help but look at Taeyoung's features. The way his eyebrows come together because of focusing too much, the small smile that kept playing on his lips everytime he scored, his eyes sparkling with adolescent delight; he was beautiful. 

The game finished and Taeyoung's team won but of course Seongmin didn't know that, he was too busy staring at the boy in front of him. Only when Taeyoung snapped his fingers in front of his face that he realized he'd been staring for a while. Seongmin reverted his gaze back with a shade of light red playing hide and seek in his complexion. 

' _You've been staring_.' Taeyoung smiled. Seongmin covered his face with a couch pillow. 

' _Shut up_.' He signed despite hiding himself. Taeyoung rolled his eyes and pulled the pillow out of his arms yet Seongmin was quick to cover his face again with his hands. 

The older huffed. He slowly took Seongmin's hands in his to finally get rid of them trying to cease his vision from seeing such a gorgeous sight. When he was sure Seongmin wouldn't do it again, he let them go. The younger pouted at the loss of touch. 

' _You know, I suddenly remembered our first meeting._ ' Taeyoung grinned. Seongmin stared at him in horror. He was sure Taeyoung was gonna say something that would make him curl. 

' _The way you stared at me just now. . . That's how you looked at me then._ ' Seongmin's eyes widened. He really didn't know at all. Man, are my eyes made for him or what?

' _Excuse me, I was staring at you because you took my seat, not because I thought you were cute._ ' He reasoned out but Taeyoung only found more things to tease him about.

' _So you think I'm cute?_ ' He nudged the younger. Seongmin glared at him with a shy gaze but nodded nonetheless. This made Taeyoung cover his face. He didn't think the younger would actually agree with his words. 

The two went quiet just sitting there. Seongmin really wanted to ask Taeyoung about the soulmate thing again but he was too paranoid to do so. And as if the latter could read minds, he decided to say what the other had been thinking.

' _Do you think we're soulmates?_ ' Taeyoung signed. Seongmin just sat there, literally not knowing the answer for that question. 

_'I don't know. . . How do we know we are?'_

Taeyoung pretended to think hard and Seongmin was expecting a good answer from him. Or so he thought.

‘ _What if I kiss you?_ ’ Taeyoung teased. He loved seeing Seongmin get all flustered with his words. 

‘ _Do you want to?_ ’ Seongmin signed. This was not what Taeyoung was expecting, at all. He jumped in his seat a little bit too excited and signed yes. Seongmin chuckled. Taeyoung got embarrassed all of a sudden and refused to look at him right after he said yes. 

Taeyoung felt a tap on his shoulders which made him look up. He saw Seongmin lean in and internally panicked. _Oh God. Oh God. Oh God._

Seongmin closed his eyes and placed a little kiss on his lips, made it linger for a bit, before leaning back with a smile. Taeyoung could not believe what just happened. 

Seongmin, the guy he was crushing on, kissed him. He kissed him. _He kissed me?!_

Suddenly, both their worlds started to stir. Taeyoung’s head hurted so much. His dreams were replaying in his mind. The only difference this time was that the silhouettes were now replaced with Seongmin. 

The exact same thing happened to the aforementioned boy. Although both were feeling the same thing, Taeyoung still managed to worry about the younger. 

He held Seongmin’s head, worried. Seongmin groaned. 

‘ _Are you alright?_ ’ Taeyoung fretted. Despite the pain, Seongmin still managed to let out a light laugh. Taeyoung thought it was the best thing his aids were gifting to him. The younger nodded. 

‘ _I’m okay. Just got sudden whiplash after my soulmate decided to kiss me._ ’ He grinned. Taeyoung rolled his eyes at the latter until the sudden realization hit him. 

‘ _We’re really soulmates?!_ ’ Taeyoung’s smile was so wide that Seongmin almost felt his jaws hurt. The shorter laughed and nodded, opening his arms for Taeyoung. 

The two hugged each other tightly. Finally, after a whole lot of sleepless and question-filled nights trying to figure out who were their soulmate, they got the answer. And if Taeyoung thought this day couldn’t get any better, well, it just did. 

‘ _Taeyoung, do you want to be my. . . boyfriend?_ ’ Seongmin signed timidly. Taeyoung felt like crying. He didn’t have words, literally. He enveloped the latter into a tight hug. So tight that Seongmin found it hard to breathe. 

They stayed in that position for a while. Taeyoung was straight up crying because of too much happiness. 

“So, yes?” Seongmin asked, giving strokes to Youngtae’s back. He sat up straight, stared at Seongmin right in the eye and nodded eagerly. Seongmin laughed once more. 

The two ended up cuddling on the couch for the rest of the morning. They lied there, talking about all the things they could think of. 

‘ _You know, that was the first sentence I tried to learn.’_ Seongmin admitted after a while. This made Taeyoung smile. 

‘ _So you’ve been planning on asking me since then?_ ’ He asked. Seongmin stared up at him and nodded. 

‘ _Why are you so cute?_ ’ He smothered Seongmin who was squirming from his grasp. 

“It’s because I love you.” Seongmin confessed sweetly. The older cooed.

 _‘I really love you, too._ ’ Taeyoung couldn’t think of a way to lessen his happiness at that moment. Everything felt surreal. It seemed like everything was just a fever dream that he was bound to wake up on but no, this was all real.

Seongmin kissing him was real. Seongmin asking him out was real. Seongmin being his soulmate was real. Everything was real.

Taeyoung couldn’t ask for more. He loved this. Because of that fateful encounter months ago, he got all these wonderful events happening one by one. He was so thankful for the younger. For talking to him despite being quiet. But then, Taeyoung realized;

_Sometimes, being quiet wasn’t so bad afterall._


End file.
